LOS ANGELES
(November 19, 2012) – Just in time for the official start to holiday
season, the Parents Television Council® released its annual list of
the "Top Ten Best and Worst Advertisers" for the 2011-2012
television season. Companies were ranked based on the content in the
television shows they chose to underwrite with their advertising
dollars. "Best" companies primarily sponsored programs with
positive, family-friendly themes while advertisers that earned the
"worst" label commonly appeared on shows that included harsh
language, violence and sexual content.

"This week marks the official start of the holiday shopping season
and businesses will quickly find out whether consumers support their
brands. Our list of the best and worst TV advertisers is meant to
serve as a guide to holiday shoppers who support family-friendly
advertisers, knowing the impact those companies have on today’s TV
programming and, by extension, on our entertainment media culture,"
said PTC president Tim Winter.

"If you’re in the market for an automobile this year and want to
show support for family-friendly companies, both Ford and Nissan
landed on our ‘best’ list, sponsoring programs like, Who Do You
Think You Are, and Minute to Win It, while Toyota
appeared on our ‘worst’ list for programs like, Grimm,
Awake, and Smash.

"If consumers are considering where to shop, Wal-Mart and CVS landed
on our best list, but Target secured a spot on the ‘worst’ list.
Other friendly brands include Procter & Gamble (Ivory and Oil of
Olay soap) and General Mills (Betty Crocker, Bisquick, Cheerios,
Haagen-Dazs, and Hamburger Helper).

"For fast food chains, this year Wendy’s exhibited more corporate
responsibility than McDonald’s, which has shown an unfortunate slide
from the family-friendly ranks. When reaching for a soda, we found
Coca-Cola supported far more family-friendly programming than
PepsiCo.

"Other companies like Brinker international – owner of the Chili’s
restaurant chain – which appeared on our ‘worst’ advertisers list as
recently as 2009, turned a positive corner this year by committing
to wholesome, family-friendly content. Brinker’s improvement in its
advertising policy corresponds with solid financial results,
corroborating recent research by retail behemoth Wal-Mart that the
performance of advertising dollars is increased by 18% when
associated with positive programming as opposed to negative
programming.

"As they do every holiday season, businesses depend on every dollar
and this is a chance for consumers to vote with their wallets and
support brands in line with their own values. PTC encourages every
shopper to reward those companies who have consistently supported
positive, family-friendly content throughout the year," Winter
concluded.

Top Ten Best and Worst Advertisers

The PTC’s list of the "Top Ten Best and Worst Advertisers" is based
on each company’s prime time broadcast television ad buys during the
2011-2012 television season. Using PTC’s trademarked traffic light
ratings system, each company was assigned a point value based on the
number of green, yellow and red light shows it sponsored. Special
weight was assigned to advertisers that demonstrated a corporate
commitment to sponsor family-friendly programming. To see each prime
time show’s rating, please visit
http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/familyguide/main.asp.

To speak with a representative from the Parents Television Council,
please contact Liz Krieger at (703) 683-5004 ext. 120
or Katie Glenn at (703) 683-5004, ext. 144.

The Parents Television Council™ (www.parentstv.org®)
is a non-partisan education organization advocating responsible entertainment.
It was founded in 1995 to ensure that children are not constantly assaulted by sex, violence
and profanity on television and in other media. This national
grassroots organization has more than 1.3 million members across the
United States, and works with television producers, broadcasters,
networks and sponsors in an effort to stem the flow of harmful and
negative messages targeted to children. The PTC also works with
elected and appointed government officials to enforce broadcast
decency standards. Most importantly, the PTC produces critical
research and publications documenting the dramatic increase in sex,
violence and profanity in entertainment. This information is
provided free of charge so parents can make informed viewing choices
for their own families.

Parents Television Council,
www.parentstv.org, PTC,
Clean Up TV Now, Because our children are watching, The
nation's most influential advocacy organization, Protecting
children against sex, violence and profanity in
entertainment, Parents Television Council Seal of Approval,
and Family Guide to Prime Time Television
are trademarks of the Parents Television Council.